Project Van: Origin Story

What’s the perfect tow vehicle? There’s no single correct answer, but we think we’ll answer the question quite well with our newest purchase: A 2006 Ford E-250 Van. Why this van? In short, it was just too good of a deal. It spent the majority of its life as the Grassroots Motorsports company van, hauling magazines, T-shirts and cars all over the country. But after 210,000 miles of hard use, it was time for an upgrade: The company bought a new Ford Transit so its employees could have something with a warranty to drive. Us personally, though? We’re cheap, and after the company got a $1500 trade-in offer, we bought the old van for just $2000.

Sure, it has issues, but nothing a little elbow grease can’t fix. And once we’ve got it fixed up, we’ll start upgrading. Our goal? Tow our race car to the track along with its tools and spares, then have a comfortable place to sleep for the race weekend. When we’re not racing, our van should be able to tackle a weekend of camping, kayaking, and mountain biking, all without breaking the bank or drawing too much attention to itself. Oh, and did we mention we want it to stay functional as a van, too? Any upgrades we make can’t get in the way of hauling cargo.

If I ever do get to the point of towing cars to events, this would be the route I'd take. I kinda like driving the cars I have, but towing is often a more relaxed experience, which can be nice if you're headed home right after the event. Good buy!